Overview
The purpose of this study is to understand how stress, anxiety, and negative affect change learning and decision-making processes. The primary objective is to assess two forms of decision-making-reward adaptation and emotion prediction errors-differ as a function of stress and anxiety. The secondary objectives are to assess how individual differences measured in our studies relate to these decision variables.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
Aims 1-3: To be eligible for participation in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:
- 18-65 years of age
- Able to speak, read, and write fluently in English
- Be willing and able to follow study procedures and provide informed consent.
Aim 4: To be eligible for participation in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:
- 18-65 years of age
- Diagnosis of GAD
- Able to speak, read, and write fluently in English
- Be willing and able to follow study procedures and provide informed consent.
Exclusion Criteria:
Aims 1-3: Individuals will be excluded from participation if any of the following criteria are met:
- History of or medication for neurologic or psychiatric disease
- High-blood pressure or heart condition
- Diabetes, food allergies, metabolic disorders or history of eating disorder
- Use of corticosteroids or beta-blockers
- Pregnancy
Aim 4: Individuals will be excluded from participation if any of the following criteria are met:
- High-blood pressure or heart condition
- Diabetes, food allergies, metabolic disorders or history of eating disorder
- Use of corticosteroids or beta-blockers
- Lifetime history of bipolar disorder or any psychotic disorder; substance use disorder in past 3 months; eating disorder in past 6 months; current major depressive disorder (past is allowed)
- Active suicidal ideation with plan and intent (indicated by score \>=4 on the Columbia Suicide Severity Scale)
- Not on stable dose of psychiatric medication for at least 4 weeks prior to study participation
- Pregnancy